Nigeria teenage tennis sensation Khadijat Eleojo Mohammed has received some career-building backing from the National Sports Commission, NSC.
Shortlisted on the NSC's adopt-an-athlete initiative, the tennis prodigy is expected to enjoy the best of support on her way to greatness.
NSC Chairman Mallam Shehu Dikko assured that the Commission would ensure that Khadijat's full potentials were realized.
"I am quite impressed with what you have been able to do with your tennis career. No doubt you deserve all the encouragement and support that you can get. Even if you didn't come here, I am sure we would have found you along the line. I will make sure we support and help you to be the best you can be. The potential is there. For you to be winning big tournaments professionally at such a young age, the future is very bright. We will support you so that you don't fall by the wayside," Mallam Dikko promised.
"We have the adopt-an-athlete program, so we will see how we can put you on the platform where the companies we are dealing with can come to support you in addition to whatever support that we can give as commission under our grassroots policy. We will look at you and see how we make you part of our program."
Dikko made the comments in the presence of the player and her father/trainer, Mohammed Ohinoyi, a certified ITF coach and a former professional tennis player, who had appealed to the NSC for Khadijat's support.
At only 15, Khadijat has proven to be the next big thing in Nigeria's tennis.
She became the first West or Central African player to win the ITF.J30 World Tour.
The following year in 2023 at 14 years old, she became the first teenager to win the Dala Tennis, a title she retained this year.
Aside from conquering the home front, Dikko believed Khadijat had the potential to excel at the Olympics someday.
"Tennis is also an Olympic sport. It is at this age that we can start nurturing the best tennis players to get us to the podium. With the right training, I believe that in two or three years, with the right roadmap, you should be having a go at the Olympics and other top competitions and we see how we take it from there. So we need to get more details about her training and the plans," he enthused.
"We will liaise with the Nigeria Tennis Federation because whatever we have to do, we will align with the programs of the Federation and make sure they are part of what we are doing. We will try to push you as much as we can to take you to the next level."
The NSC Chairman instantly assigned an aide Bar. Musa Amadu to follow up on Khadijat and provide updates.
"Since you train in our facility here at the MKO Abiola Stadium, we will come to watch. Be rest assured that we will keep a tab on you. We will follow your progress in the tournaments and circuits. You quite align with our vision to catch them young. We would be doing aggressive grassroots sports development as part of the overall vision, so you have come to the right place at the right time. We will ensure you are properly guided and your dreams activated," he added.
Dikko cautioned the player against dumping the nation afterwards.
"Be careful, it is not after we have pushed you up now, tomorrow, you say you are representing another country. You are laughing now, it's not funny. Not after we have done all the hard work now, tomorrow another country will come and reap where they didn't sow," he concluded.
While appealing for the Commission's support, Kadijat's father and coach, Ohinoyi said, "We as her parents have done our best, we can no longer take her beyond here. The remaining is in the hands of the National Sports Commission. That is why we are here. We have come because we can't continue with her."
Khadijat added, "If I am supported to get up there, I will also like to lift others and help them to make it in tennis. I want to be a source of inspiration to young tennis players in Nigeria."
By Kelechi Bernard(@woramangra)
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